A Step to the Future: Kanto Travels
by Teirs03
Summary: Cael sets off on her pokemon journey with the intent to find her missing friend. But with Team Rocket around the courner, her fathers trackers at her tail, and a destiny to fulfill, her journey is nowhere near normal.
1. Prolouge

**A/N**: Hello and welcome to this new fic. I am new to fan fiction writing so please be gentle. This story here will hopefully travel through the 4 regions of the main games, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. For those of you who don't like original trainer fics, just stop reading right here. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: Pokemon does not belong to me. These characters, however, do.

**Chapter 1: A Look To The Past**

The Ghent Mansion was a large building, though being one of the partners of the Silph Corporation, it's to be expected. With a house large enough to house the Ghent family and it's thirty plus servants. It was a wonder how nobody really saw such a large complex in the forest off the path between Pallet town and Viridian city. What interested Cael Ghent, however, was a small garden within the mansions walls.

The garden wasn't as large as the other gardens, though the trees and flowers made it look much larger. It wasn't the most popular garden among the servants either, which was part of why Cael liked it. She preferred the open nature and not being surrounded by workers before she was dragged off to another lesson on how to be a proper lady. The beauty of the garden, however, was beyond wonder to the blue-eyed girl. The wind rustling the trees while mixing the scents of the flowers, all the while blowing back her dark-red hair, it was all just so beautiful to her.

There was also the bonus that she might meet up with him there.

She walked through the garden, enjoying the feel of the grass beneath her feet with every step, when she heard it. Splashing coming from deeper in the garden. Cael began to walk faster, soon breaking into a run, knowing that even if he was there he would be going back to work in a matter of time. As she neared the clearing for the pond, she slowed her pace, coming to a stop just before arriving. Cael gathered her breath before walking into the clearing, trying to at least seem like she hadn't just run to see him.

The beauty of it was stunning as always, various flowers bordering a path surrounding a shining pool. At the end of the path, just before the wall of the mansion, was a small pond with water lilies scattered across the top. Sitting at the edge of the pond was a boy with messy blonde hair, his loose blue and green shirt flapping in the breeze. He was kneeling down and reaching his hand out to one of the few pokemon she had seen in her life, a Magikarp.

Cael watched as she snuck closer to him, being as quiet as she was able to. Trying to surprise him, she approached as close as she thought she could without alerting her before suddenly speaking. "It's so easy to find you, Toren. You're always playing with Buas when you have some free time." The blonde boy slowly turned his head to look at her and smiled, his green eyes meeting hers.

"Guess being easy to find is something we have in common." He returned. Cael sat next to him as he looked back to Buas and placed his hand upon its bright red scales. Cael had noticed long ago that the boy seemed to have a deep connection with the seemingly useless Pokémon. He had always been with it, ever since her father and she had found him passed out at sea holding onto the Pokémon as if it were a life preserver.

Remembering that day, Cael became caught up in her memories. Her father had decided to take her out with him on a trip, one of the few things she had to look forward to back then, having the only other thing to do be listening to her tutors. They were riding a cruise liner to Vermillion city, with plans to go north to Saffron city when they arrived. During the entire cruise, Cael ran around on the deck, taking in whatever she could see over the rails of the ship.

Cael was running to the front of the boat when she saw something floating in the distance. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she went to ask one of the crew to see what it was. She pointed out what she had seen to a sailor when she had found one, having him look through some binoculars to see what it was. When he saw what it was, however, the sailor immediately ran off somewhere. Next thing she knew, the boat stopped completely, and a lifeboat was sent out to grab what she had seen.

Cael went up to see what she had seen when the lifeboat returned. What they picked up out of it surprised her. Sleeping in their arms was a tanned young boy, barely looking any older than her, hugging a Magikarp. The boy didn't seem to be a Pokémon trainer, having nothing other than the old clothes on his back.

The crew asked the boy all kinds of questions when he woke up. Who was he? Where was he from? What was he doing in the middle of the sea? All he could remember, though, was his own name. Learning this, the sailors decided to wait until they reached Vermillion city and ask around there for any information. Being the only other child around her age on the ship, Cael instantly made friends with him. He and Cael spent the rest of the voyage with each other, playing together and generally keeping each other out of trouble.

When they reached Vermillion city, the crew asked around town but couldn't find anybody that knew the boy. Cael couldn't think of turning her back to her newfound friend, and asked her father if he could stay with them. Unable to refuse his daughter, Karcel Ghent took the boy in to work in the mansion.

It has been 4 years since then. When Toren wasn't working, he was in the garden with Buas, either taking care of the plants or waiting for Cael to arrive. Most days they were too busy to see each other, which made the days that they did see each other special to her.

Cael could always tell when he was waiting for her, though. Whenever Toren was waiting for him, he tended to talk to Buas. At times, when she watched him for a bit before talking to him, it seemed as though the fish Pokémon understood what the boy was saying. Hell, she could swear that she'd seen it try to respond once. It was almost as though Buas was as human as the rest of them were.

"Cael," Toren sighed out, grabbing her attention. He paused for a second to gather his thoughts before he continued. "Today is my last day in the mansion. I'm going to be leaving tomorrow."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Cael froze. She stared blankly at Toren, the shock of what he said apparent in her eyes. Her mind only processed one thought. _What did he just say?_ Before she could ask, he continued on. "I asked your father a few days ago if I could leave on my journey. I've saved enough money to last for a while out there. I'm going to head for Pallet town in the morning so that I can get my supplies from a professor."

It took a few seconds before Cael regained her thoughts enough to speak. When she did, she could only ask one thing. "Why?"

Toren looked at her, thinking carefully about his words before continuing slowly. "I'm not quite sure. If I had to say, it's because of a feeling I have. A feeling like something out there is waiting for me. Something is calling out from somewhere, looking for me. It might help me find out who I was, it might help me remember."

Hearing this, her shock flowed away in an instant. _It still bothers him._ She held up a hand to his face to stop him before she spoke up. "Just promise that you'll come back, alright Toren?"

When Cael moved her hand, a gentle smile appeared on Torens face. "You and Buas are the only friends I've had. Of course I'll come back." After his promise, Cael smiled brightly.

After they settled down, the two started talking to each other about the little things that happened during their day. Toren about how he had had a fight with one of the other workers, and Cael about how her teachers were boring her to tears. They talked to each other until voices could be heard calling from within the garden. "Seems like it's time for you to go back to your classes." He said apologetically, as they both stood.

When the two stood, the height difference between the two became more obvious. Being a year older than Cael, Toren was taller than her, but not by a lot. Cael looked up at him one more time before she started to leave. As she left, she called out back to him.

"Remember, you promised to come back home when you're done." He smiled when she finished and waved as she left his sight.

"Yeah. I promised."

**A/N**: Well there you have it, the beginning to my little story. Please read and review (Helps me know what I'm doing right) and keep watch for the next chapter.


	2. First step

**Chapter 2: The First Step**

_"Yeah, I promised."_

Hearing these words, Cael awoke from her dream, her memories of that day staying at the front of her mind. It had been a year since he had left, and she had been worrying about him since the day he left. The fact that he hadn't sent even a single letter didn't help to relieve her fears, either. Some days she became so worried she couldn't even pretend to be interested in what her tutors were trying to teach her.

Remembering her lessons, Cael rolled over and buried her head into her pillow. She didn't want to sit through those boring lessons for even a second longer. If she didn't, though, her father would hear about it, and she'd barely get past the wall before being caught by security. Grudgingly, she got up and started to get ready, trying to think of something other than her boring tutors.

A year since he left. Cael tried to imagine how Toren could have changed in the time he had been gone, but the best she could imagine was a new tan covering his skin like when she first met him. In her imagination he still had his gentle smile and still talked to Buas as though the Pokémon was human. She could somewhat understand how he felt now, though.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking as a deep voice called out on the other side of the door. "Lady Cael, it is time for your first lesson." The voice called out.

"I'll be out soon," she replied as she pulled a dress on over a shirt and a pair of long shorts. She never did like wearing dresses much, but had to keep up appearances, at least until lunch. _Be patient Cael__. After lunch, you'll be free of these stupid things._

That thought in mind, she walked out the door and looked around to find the source of the voice. When she couldn't find him, a slight pulling on her arm alerted her to where he was. "Really, I come every day to take you to your lessons, and you're still late to them. If I weren't working under your father, I'd wonder how you would even get out of bed." Quickly, Cael was hurried through the mansion by a small pink Pokémon with a crown-shaped shell on its head.

"And you just _can't_ leave for some rest until you're sure I can handle myself," she replied sarcastically as she watched the Slowking pull her along. "I can take care of myself easily enough, Eran. I'm tougher than you and father think." When they came to a sudden stop, Cael looked up to see a large door in front of them.

"Of course you are tough," he said deeply before turning and showing a small smile on his face. "But, no matter how tough you are, you still have many things you need to learn. Now get in there before you're any later." After saying this, Eran opened the door and pushed Cael in, starting her lessons as usual.

Cael went through the lessons her tutors taught her just like every other day, performing whatever her tutor was trying to make her do while thinking about other things to keep from being bored as the time slowly went by. As she daydreamed, her thoughts kept returning to her dream from the morning, and how her friend hadn't sent any word home. It was so unlike him to not even send one letter back to his best friend, unless he couldn't. She continued this line of thought, thinking of all sorts of things that could have happened to him.

A sudden knocking at the door snapped Cael out of her daydreaming. The red haired girl looked at the door as it was opening to see a man's head poking into the room. "Excuse the interruption, but lunch is prepared. I was asked to escort the lady to the dining room."

Looking up at the clock, Cael realized she had daydreamed through her lesson. Getting up, she excused herself before following the man through her house. "So, my father will be eating with me today?"

"I'm not sure ma'am. I was only told to bring you to the dining room."

_Of course he is_, she thought to herself. _The dining room was the only place we see each other, and he always sends someone to take me there when he wants to see me. The only time I see him now is when we're eating._

Only feeling a bit of anger at her thoughts, she looked around to distract herself. When she did, however, she realized they were in front of the double doors to the dining room. Sighing, she pushed through the doors into the grand room.

In her opinion, the room was more big than grand, much like the rest of the mansion. Down the center of the room stood a long wooden table, which Cael guessed could probably seat most of the mansions workers. Sitting at the head of the table was an older man with a gray tone to his hair.

"Well? Aren't you going to sit down?" Her father said without even looking up. Obeying, Cael quietly sat in a chair near her father. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before a couple servers brought their food in. Before she was able to eat, however, Karcel spoke up. "I hear you've been distracted during your lessons. You need to get your head out of the clouds and pay attention to what you're told to do."

"Yes father," she said before taking a bite. It was all she was allowed to say to most of her father's statements without getting into an argument. So, all she could do was eat and wait for the next thing the older man would say.

The two of them sat, silently eating, before Karcel spoke again, halfway through their meal. "You were thinking about him again, weren't you?" Cael stiffened for a second before continuing with her meal. "You should really forget about that boy. He left and he hasn't even called once."

"How can I forget about him? The only person around my age I've met has been gone for a year with no idea about who he is or what he's doing. How can I not worry about him?" Cael looked at her father before he spoke, a hard look in his eyes.

"Forget about that boy. He distracted you while he was here, and you think of nothing but him now that he's gone. He chose to leave, so stop thinking about it."

"But if you just sent somebody out to look for him-" Cael started before being frozen by her father's cold glare.

"That will not be happening. If he chooses not to contact us, then there is no reason to look for him." With these words, silence fell back over the dining room.

After a few more minutes of quiet, Cael stood and walked to the door. "Please excuse me." She didn't wait for an answer before walking out of the room and heading for her own. She walked slowly as she listened for anybody who might be following her. Hearing no footsteps other than her own, she turned down the hall leading to the back garden.

After Toren left, the garden that she used to love lost its luster. Having seen no one other than him rest in the garden, Cael could only say that he was the only one who took care of it in that mansion. Now that the young man was gone, parts of the garden started to die while other parts started to over grow. However, knowing that nobody else went there, it made it the perfect spot for Cael to hide in.

Cael shed her dress as she walked through the garden, making sure it didn't catch on any tree branches around her. As much as she disliked dresses, she liked this one more than any of the other choices she had. When she reached the back pond, she folded the dress nicely before putting it somewhere out of sight.

After depositing the dress somewhere safe, the young lady began to search the bushes around the pond. Digging her hands through the greenery, she found herself confused at the fact that nothing was there. Before she could feel around again, a familiar deep voice called out behind her.

"Is this what you are searching for?"

Cael's eyes widened in panic as she looked to find the owner of the voice. Standing there, with a green backpack hanging from his stubby little hand, was Eran. "Really, Cael, you think that I wouldn't notice your preparing to escape? With such a simple plan as climbing over the wall, no less. Those tutors must really not teach you well enough."

Panicked, Cael stuttered to deny what the Slowking was saying. "I-I wasn't trying to escape."

Hearing her stutter, the pink Pokémon gave a disapproving face. "Now I really am disappointed in you, my lady. Lying so obviously when you've already been caught. Quite frankly, You're lucky I found your supplies while I was relaxing here a week ago. I shudder to think of all the food you had packed spoiling, even worse at the thought of you possibly eating it." Eran visibly shuddered a bit as he said the last part.

Trying to take his mind away from her escape, Cael asked him in surprise, "You relax out here?"

Eran looked up at her with a small smile on his face. "But of course I do. When tended to properly, the beauty of this garden is quite stunning." He replied before his expression became serious again. "But that's beside the point right now. Now take your bag and follow me."

Sighing in defeat, Cael took her bag from Eran's hand before following him slowly through the garden. Soon into their walk, however, her look of despair that she wouldn't escape became one of confusion. Looking around, she continued to notice that they weren't getting closer to the gardens exit. "Eran, aren't we going back inside?"

Eran smiled knowingly at her as they reached a place further down the wall. Reaching over, he pushed his stubby hand against a loose stone, opening a door hidden in the wall. "Do make sure to find a good hiding place by night. It will take about that long for them to find that you must have gotten outside the mansion."

Cael couldn't help but stand where she was, surprised. She never expected the serious Pokémon to help her escape, after all. After a few minutes, her shock wore off. Smiling, she walked up to Eran and hugged him, whispering in his ear, "Thank you for this."

A grin broke out on his face before he spoke. "Just remember to get that boy back here. I want to see this garden in its full beauty again." Nodding, she thanked him again before running through the hole in the wall.

Watching as she left, Eran felt pleased by his actions. Still smiling, the small creature spoke out into the air as he closed the opening. "I have done my part, Toren. Now it is up to her to keep going."


	3. Second step

**Disclaimer**: Pokémon does not belong to me. Cael, Toren, and Aetrom, however, belong to me.

**Chapter 3: The Journey Begins**

Cael ran through the forest outside of her home, trying to get as far away as she could before sunset. She knew there was a town somewhere past the forest, all she needed to do was to get there. Doing so was proving harder than she thought, though.

Looking around, the scenery didn't seem to change at all. The only thing she could see in any direction was more trees. Even so, the young girl continued to run, hoping she'd get to the town soon.

After what she thought must've been a few hours, Cael sat against a tree to rest. _Jeez just how far away is this town._ She looked around again, hoping to see some sign of the city, when something caught her eye. _What in the world? _The young girl stood and walked slowly closer to what she saw. When she got closer, she realized she wasn't imagining things. Sitting at her feet was a giant green bud planted into the ground.

When her curiosity got the best of her, Cael reached out her hand and poked at the bud. As soon as she made contact, the plant shifted around. Cael jumped back and watched as the dirt underneath the bud fell away to reveal an animal looking up at her.

Time seemed to slow a bit as they looked at each other. The creature was small, the top of its' bulb reaching her knees. Its' red eyes looked up at her, as if searching for something. It seemed to find what it was looking for after a minute.

In an instant, the animal jumped at her, knocking her over. As the creature nuzzled up against her, she couldn't help but notice how much heavier it was then it looked. After a minute of the creature nuzzling her cheek with its', she heard a ragged voice calling out.

"-where are you? Come on out, we need to get back to town." Both Cael and the being on top of her looked to where the voice was coming from. Not hearing anything, the creature went back to rubbing against her before the voice called out again, closer than when they last heard it. "Bulbasaur, it's time to go home now."

Cael was the only one to look this time, looking over to see an old man walk into the clearing. He seemed surprised to find her, but instantly smiled at the scene in front of him.

"Well, isn't this interesting. He seems to be quite taken with you," he said amusedly before calling the creature back. "Come on, Bulbasaur, time to head back."

The Bulbasaur turned to look at the man before grunting and returning to what he was doing. Cael tried to push the green animal off of her, but was having a harder time than she thought she would. Finally, the old man pulled out a red and white ball and pointed it at the creature.

A red beam pulled the Bulbasaur away from the girl and back into the ball. After putting away the ball, the old man walked over and held his hand out to help her up. "Sorry about that, Miss. He seemed to like you quite a bit."

Cael nodded quietly, staring at the man. She had never seen him before, so that meant he didn't work for her father, but she still had to be careful. That much the dark-haired girl knew, at the very least.

Slowly, she picked herself up off the ground, keeping an eye on the man, before speaking carefully. "I'm sorry for taking your Pokémon, Mr. trainer. If you could point me to the nearest town, I'd be very grateful."

The old man looked at her for a second before laughing to himself for a bit. Confused, Cael was about to ask why he was laughing before he explained. "Oh, no, I'm not a trainer. Those years are well behind me. Allow me to introduce myself, I am professor Samuel Oak, Pokémon professor."

Cael looked at the man for a moment, taking in what the man said. _A Pokémon professor?_ Thinking back, she remembered one of the things Toren told her the day before he left.

_"I'm going to head for Pallet Town in the morning so that I can get my supplies from a professor."_

"Um, Miss? Is something wrong?" Oak asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. She shook her head, trying to shake the memory away. Finally, she looked up at the man in front of her and spoke.

"I... think you're the person I need to see." Cael watched the older man in front of her as his expression changed to one of curiosity. "I need to travel on my own, and a friend told me you'd be able to help me."

The curiosity stayed on the professors' face before looking her over. After circling her once, he stopped in front of her again before asking a single question. "Have you ever taken care of a Pokémon before?"

Cael shook her head. "I haven't, but I used to watch my friend take care of his. I haven't seen him in about a year, though." The older man nodded, looking her over a bit again.

"It's better than nothing, at the very least." The professor turned away from her before continuing, "Well, than, follow me. We'll need to get to the lab and get you set up. It should be easy enough, it looks like you have most of what you need already."

Cael's eyes widened in surprise as he started walking. She hurried to follow before getting caught up in her own thoughts. The young girl had expected him to ask more questions. She at least thought he would ask why she needed to travel alone. When she looked up to ask, however, the words caught in her throat as she looked out over Pallet Town.

It had been years since the young girl last saw Pallet Town, she had almost forgotten what it looked like. Cael walked through the town, a sense of nostalgia setting in as she looked around at the buildings they passed. It was a quiet town next to the sea, mostly made of old homes. There were a few shops and inn's, but it was obvious that travelers were a rare thing. Looking around, though, there was one building that dwarfed all of the others within the small town. As they moved through the streets, she realized that they were getting closer and closer to the large building. When they reached it, it was much smaller than it seemed. When she was younger, Cael had seen towers that would reach as far as her young eyes could see. Compared to those, this three story domed building was practically just a large house.

"Come on in." Oak said, opening the door for her. Hesitating for a second, Cael slowly walked inside the building, unsure of what to expect inside. It was dark at first, but when the lights came on, the sight of it was amazing to her. Machines of all looks and types covered the walls of the building. Though switched off at the moment, the red-haired girl could guess that they were meant to analyze different things about Pokémon. Walking forward, the professor led her deeper inside the building, passing even more machines as they went.

"Sorry about the mess. The other professors have the day off, so I've been here by myself today. I was just letting a few of our more troublesome Pokémon out for a bit of exercise when we ran into you." Cael shook her head in disregard as she continued to look around the room, obviously not hearing what he was saying. After a minute of walking, the professor finally stopped in front of a table, placing three Poké balls on it.

"Now, while I believe that Bulbasaur would be perfect for you, I really should give you a choice of which Pokémon you want to start with. After you choose which one you want, you will have to capture any others you get on your own. Now then other than Bulbasaur we have-" Suddenly, Oak was cut off by a yell coming from down the hall they had just come through.

"PROFESSOR!"

Cael and Oak looked towards the young man who had just arrived. His face was sharp, along with his golden, glaring eyes, making it seem like he was going to attack anybody that got in his way. His dark brown bangs hung over his face, hiding a large scar that rested just over his left eye. He was clad in a black sleeveless shirt, showing a lean frame and hiding little muscle behind it. "I came to receive a Pokémon to train."

Oak looked the young man over when he reached them, much like he did to Cael, before speaking again. "What is your name, young man?"

The boy looked up at the professor before replying confidently, "Aetrom."

Nodding, the older man cleared his throat before speaking again, making sure both of them were paying attention. "Very well, than, both of you will be choosing the Pokémon you will start with. Since Aetrom arrived late, however, the young lady will be allowed to pick which one she wants' first."

Aetrom looked over to Cael with what she believed to be even more of a glare than he was first giving. _How is that even possible?_ She thought to herself as she slowly turned back to Oak to listen to him explain.

"Now as I was saying before, you may choose one of these three to start with. There is the turtle Pokémon, Squirtle," He motioned to the first Poké ball. "The lizard Pokémon, Charmander," The second Poké ball. "And the seed Pokémon, Bulbasaur." The third Poké ball. "Make sure you choose wisely, because once you've chosen, there is no changing." The professor warned, as he watched Cael think about which one to choose. It took only a moment for her to decide, but soon reached out and grabbed one of the balls.

* * *

**A/N**: I feel like torturing you with a cliffhanger right now, sorry. I took a few liberties on how pallet town should look, but really its a port town. It should look at least somewhat like that even for being small. Cael has met Professor Oak, and has chosen her pokemon. Which is it going to be? Is it going to be obvious as to what her choice will be? And who is this Aetrom? How did he get his scar? Half of these questions shall be answered in the next chapter. Sorry this chapter took so long to put out by the way, I was having writing and motivation troubles. See ya and please review.


	4. Third step

**A/N**: I continue on. A good cliffhanger is good for a story, but it can be really annoying as well. There's a bit of information in this one but we finally get it all truly underway. So here we go.

**Disclaimer**: Pokemon does not belong to me. Cael, Toren, and Aetrom do.

**Chapter 3: Stepping Out**

Cael opened the pokeball in her hand. After a flash of light, at her feet was a small green pokemon. It stood a little taller than her knees on its four legs, supporting the bulb on its back that looked to be as large as its body.

"Are you sure you want Bulbasaur?" Oak asked Cael. The Bulbasaur looked up at her and smiled. At least she thinks it did.

"I'm sure." She replied, looking back to Oak from the pokemons smiling face.

"Can I choose now?" Aetrom asked, feeling irritated at having to wait.

"You can choose yours now, Aetrom." Oak turned to him. Aetrom turned toward the table, already knowing which pokemon he was going to choose. In an instant, he took the second pokeball and opened it. In a flash of light, a red lizard appeared next to him. It wasn't much larger than Bulbasaur, but it stood on its hind legs allowing it to use its arms. Watching it for a second, Cael could see that the end of its wagging tail seemed to be on fire.

"Now that you've both chosen, I will give you both a pokedex. This is a very important thing to have to a trainer. You see, a pokedex gives you information on a pokemon and its abilities. This information is based on what other trainers have seen, and what we here at the lab have studied. This information is valuable as to finding where certain pokemon are and how to handle them once they've been caught."

Oak handed a pokedex to each of them. Aetrom pocketed his without a second thought. Cael, however, took hers gently and looked at it. _With this I am a trainer._ She thought to herself. After a moment, she put away the pokedex and pulled a picture out of her pack. "Did you meet this boy about a year ago?"

"Hmm?" Oak looked at the picture. "Ah, I remember him. He came to me about a year ago. Was one of the few ones who didn't choose a starting pokemon from me." The professor said with a thoughtful look on his face. Nodding, Cael knew what her next step would be. She started walking to the door with her new pokemon.

"Wait." Cael stopped, looking back at the owner of the voice. Aetrom stood there, determination clear in his face. "Let's see who's better between the two of us." Looking at his face, it seemed to say that if she didn't face him, he would attack her with her back turned.

Seeing no way to refuse without being hurt, Cael turned to face him. Both pokemon carefully walked in front of their new trainers. Both trainers and pokemon looked at their opponents, trying to get any information from just looking at them as they could.

"Charmander, go straight at him and scratch at his face." Aetrom called out. Instantly the lizard sprang forward, closing the distance between it and her pokemon fast.

"Bulbasaur, tackle it now." Cael called out when she saw the Charmander begin to raise its claws. Before it could scratch at the bulbasaurs face, it jumped forward, slamming into the charmanders stomach. Pushed back a bit, the Charmander looked up at the Bulbasaur, ready to spring towards it again.

"To the left and attack!" both trainers called out. The pokemon followed the orders, keeping a careful eye on the other. Within an instant, both pokemon ran forward and crashed into each other. Both pokemon were on their stomachs, a little dizzy from the crash. After a moment, they both returned to their feet and faced each other. Bulbasaur jumped forward to attack Charmander again, knowing that it was close to defeating its enemy. Charmander barely avoided the attack by jumping to the side, the effects of being hit twice already its toll on the pokemon. As soon as it avoided, the Charmander turned and scratched at the bulbasaurs face. The Bulbasaur was stopped for a moment by the pain suddenly caused to it. While its enemy was stunned the Charmander ran to the side and prepared to scratch its enemy again. In that instant Bulbasaur turned and sprang forward, hitting Charmander with all of its strength. The Charmander fell on its back, the force of the hit knocking it out. Knowing that its enemy was down, the Bulbasaur walked over to Cael, a bit of pride showing in its eyes.

"Are you happy now?" Cael asked as she pulled out her pokeball. She hadn't been excited about facing the boy, wanting to go off on her search as quick as possible. She looked up and saw that the boy seemed aggravated by the turn of events.

"You win this time, but I'll have my revenge." He said as he called back his pokemon. After returning his pokemon to its pokeball, Aetrom walked out of the lab, keeping from meeting Caels eyes.

Cael sighed as she called back her pokemon. Though she didn't want to fight, she was a bit proud of her pokemons win. She walked out of the lab and looked at the town in front of her. _Just wait Toren. I'm coming to find you._ She walked into town as the thought faded.

* * *

**A/N**: Hey there guys and gals, thanks for reading this far. In case you can't tell I haven't written fighting scenes much, but with this story I hope to improve. Also I recently realized that the previous chapter may have been contradictory to the beginning of the story. If necessary I will change it once I've gotten a few more chapters out. Anyways, please review. I can't know how well I'm doing unless you tell me what you think.


	5. Fourth step

**Disclaimer**: Pokemon is not owned by me. Cael, Toren, and others to be named, however, are.

**Chapter 4: Slight Detours**

Cael walked through Pallet town, thinking of where to go next. She had already been through most of town, asking about Toren.

_Seems he left town that same day. Nobody seems to remember him, much less where he went._ She sighed to herself. _I might as well just give up searching in pallet._ As if agreeing with her thinking, her stomach began to rumble. She put a hand against her stomach, thinking about how long ago lunch was.

Walking around, Cael pulled out what little money she had grabbed before she had left home. Looking around, she found a restaurant that looked as though it would have good food. Inside she found an empty table to sit at and read the menu. Looking it over, Cael realized something important about the menu, namely, the prices. Counting the money she had again, she knew that she barely had enough to get something to drink, much less buy a meal. Knowing better than to get a meal she couldn't pay for, Cael stood and walked out of the restraunt. She started walking around town again, trying to look for a place that she could afford.

After a few hours of walking through town, walking in and out of at least 8 restaurants, Cael finally gave up on trying to find a place that she could afford. Putting down her bag, Cael started to search through it to find the food she had packed. Little by little, she took her supplies out of the bag.

_Clothes, lighting fluid, rope, map, where's the food I packed already?_ She thought to herself as she emptiedthe bag. Thinking back to earlier today, she remembered that Eran had said something about putting the food away. "Don't tell me he forgot to put the food back in."

Cael sighed as her stomach rumbled and started to put her supplies away. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, lifting her map and carrying it away. Looking up, she saw the map floating away. "Ah, my map." She picked up her bag and ran to catch it.

Cael followed the streets, running further and further toward the edge of town. When the map finally stopped, it fell at the feet of a young woman. The woman picked the piece of paper up and smiled as Cael walked up to her.

"Ah, thank you. I was afraid I'd have to leave without my map. I would have gotten lost without it." Cael remarked as the woman handed her map back to her. As soon as she had her map back in hand, her stomach rumbled again. Blushing, Cael apologized about her stomach. "I haven't eaten since lunch and I've been running around all afternoon." She explained to the woman.

"Why don't you come in for dinner, then?" The woman asks Cael. "Seems I've made for too many today, anyways."

"Ah, I couldn't. I really have to head to-"

"I insist." The woman cut Cael off. Despite Caels protests, she started to pull Cael into the house. She sat Cael down at the table and went off to bring back her plate. She returned with food enough for both of them, the smell filling the room. The smell of the food silenced Caels protests. The woman continued to grin as she placed the food in front of her.

Cael sat silently for a minute before grabbing a fork and digging in. Biting down, her mouth felt like it was in heaven. She was grateful for the food, her stomach emptier than she thought thanks to all the running she had gone through that day.

"It's nice to know that you like my cooking so much."

Cael looked up, having forgotten the woman in the sensation of taste that hit her. She sat up and smiled, a bit embarrassed of herself. "S-sorry, I'm eating your food but I forgot to introduce myself." She stuttered out. "M-my name is Cael."

"It's alright Cael. It's nice to meet you." She replied. "My name is Rin."

Her attention on Rin, Cael noticed that she seemed to remind her of someone. Her face was soft; her gentle eyes showing much of the personality that she had shown so far. Long auburn hair was back, braided tightly together. She tried to think of where she remembered her from.

"So are you a Pokémon trainer?" Rin asked, breaking Cael out of her thoughts. Cael nodded slightly. "Have you met my little brother? He went out to start his journey today."

"Who is your brother?"

"His name is Aetrom." She said happily. "He's been looking forward to today for so long." Caels head snapped up as she realized what Rin had said. She looked her over again and realized that she had the same golden eyes, and the same hair as her brother, although longer.

"You're Aetrom's sister? You look almost nothing like him though." Cael said, still shocked over the revelation.

"We get that a lot, but it's true. We're 100% blood related. You'd think he'd come home for dinner at least though." She sighed. "I guess that's just how excited he was that he could go though."

Cael looked out the window, trying not to remember her experience with Aetrom. Looking out, she noticed that there was barely any light left outside. "I guess I'll have to start my journey tomorrow." She said to herself. Rin's eyes lit up a little and her grin returned to her face. "Why don't you stay here for tonight than?"

* * *

**A/N:** I'll stop here for today. I was originally planning on having Cael move out of Pallet ASAP but it was a bit hard for me to write that out. My month long absence was a pretty bad case of writers block if I've ever had one. But I'm back and hopefully not going to experience that again. Here's to another chapter very soon.


	6. Fifth step

**Disclaimer:** I've said it 5 times already. Pokémon is not mine. Cael, Rin, and Toren are. Please ask before using them.

**Chapter 5: Hiding In the Night**

"Why don't you stay here for tonight than?"

Cael looked at the woman she just met at most an hour ago. Was she insane? All the woman knew about her was her name. She didn't even know if even that was real. Yet she was inviting Cael to spend the night in her house.

"If you couldn't buy yourself a meal, I doubt there's a way you could afford a hotel. Sleeping here would also be better than camping out." Rin told her.

"But you don't even know me." Cael replied. "All you know is that I'm a trainer and that I met your brother."

"And that you've been taught proper manners. Even while eating as fast as you were, you were showing great table manners, not like my little bro'."

Cael blushed at this. She was going to have to work on trying to fit in a bit. "That doesn't mean I couldn't be dangerous. I could be-"

She was interrupted by a rapping on the door. Rin left the room to get the door before Cael could continue her protest. Cael sighed; it seemed that nothing would stop this girl when she got an idea. She had to admit, though, spending the night here would be better than camping out.

In the other room, Rin opened the door to find a rather large man in a suit standing on the other side. "Ah, hello sir. How can I help you?"

"Good evening. I'm sorry to disturb your night, but I am searching for someone. This girl ran away from her home today and her father is worried for her. Have you seen her?" The man took a picture out of his suits front pocket and handed it to Rin.

Looking at the picture, Rin immediately recognized the face of her guest. "Yeah, I've seen her." She told the man. "She was holding a map and heading north. Seemed to be going toward the forest."

The man thanked her as he left. Rin closed the door, thinking about what to say to the girl sitting at the table in the next room. When she returned, she was wearing her cheshire grin that Cael was beginning to link her too.

"It looks like you'll be staying with me tonight after all." She said, enjoying Caels confused look aimed at her. "That is, if you don't want to be brought home so soon."

Caels eyes widened. _She knows._ Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for a way to escape easily.

"Calm down, I won't let them take you." Cael felt a bit relieved at that. "You should try to change a few things so that they don't find you though. Maybe cut that hair a bit, make you look a bit different."

"But I don't have the money for-"

"You're just in luck that I've been cutting my little brothers hair for years." Rin said confidently. "I'll be able to make you look completely different."

"But-"

"Now now, it's no use declining it. You need to be able to change your looks somehow."

"But-"

"What? You think I won't do a good job with your hair? Nonsense. I may not be able to do as well as a salon might, but I can assure you, I can do well enough."

"Will you let me finish?" Cael yelled out, surprising Rin a little. "Why are you so willing to do this for a complete stranger? On top of that a girl who's run away from home? You gave me dinner, are offering for me to spend the night, and you're saying that you want to help me stay away from my home when we only met a few hours ago. Why?"

At this, Rin smiled, confusing Cael even more. "Well, in all truth, it's because of a boy who came and left this town a while back. Like you he was also a trainer traveling through to start his journey. He stopped by this house that day. When he asked why we wouldn't let him stay the night I told him that it was because he seemed strange to me. Do you know what he said back?" She shook her head remembering. "He said 'What does it matter, who I am or what I've done? I started my journey for the same reasons as everyone else. To travel the world and to change something for myself.' Those words really seemed to have lit a fire in Aetrom, because he reminded me of them every time a trainer asked to spend the night."

Cael looked at her, slightly amazed at what she was saying. In an instant, Cael thought of something and grabbed the photo out of her bag.

"Rin, did that boy look like this?" She handed the picture to Rin.

Rin took the picture and looked at it for a moment. "That would be him. It's hard to forget him. He really seemed to inspire Aetrom, even for just being here for one night."

"Do you know if he said anything about where he was going?" Cael asked hurriedly. _Finally, someone who met him._

"I think he said something about heading to Pewter city. You won't be able to go there right now though. There are guys out looking for you." She stifled a giggle at how excited Cael looked by hearing about Toren.

"So how about that haircut" At that, Cael sat back, a bit nervous.

* * *

**A/N:** As I said, hopefully I won't have problems with writers block anymore. Cael found a clue to where Toren went. She has a destination in mind, and a ways to go. I noticed a while back that, in the earlier chapters, I gave Cael very little personality. She mostly just stood there and wondered what was going on. I'm hoping to change that the further I get.


	7. Sixth step

**Disclaimer:** If you don't get it by now, there's no hope. I don't own Pokémon. I only own this story, and a few of the characters within it.

**Chapter 6: Stepping Up**

"Just follow this route and you should be able to get to the next town in half a day."

Cael just couldn't get through to this woman. No matter how much she refused, Rin would just brush it off. First it was dinner, than spending the night. Next thing she knew, all the hair she had grown to her shoulders was cut. In the morning, she wasn't allowed to leave until she and her bulbasaur had breakfast. She was told it was to make up for cutting so much of her hair. Lastly, Rin decided she would see Cael off. Despite how many times she said no, Rin just wouldn't listen.

"You should be fine as long as you stay out of the forest. The people looking for you should be searching in there, if they went by what I told them. Oh, and I just remembered. If you happen to see my brother, I want you to tell him something." Rin said with a smile. Cael was beginning to think that that was the only expression she had.

"What is it?"

"Hit him once and tell him he's an idiot and he should have come home last night." Cael barely kept from laughing at that. A woman like Rin telling her to say that? "Ah, that's the first time you've smiled while you've been here. I was beginning to think you didn't know how to." Cael looked at Rin.

"Well it's a bit hard to smile when you're taken in against your will. Especially since you cut my hair off."

"If you didn't want to spend the night you could have tried to sneak out. Besides, you needed a way to change how you look and this is the only thing that could do that fast. Now get going. You don't want to be stuck in the wild starving." Rin turned Cael around and pushed her forward.

Cael stepped forward to keep balance. She looked back at Rin one last time before walking on the path in front of her. _Well I could have had a better start, but at least I know where Toren headed first._ Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted Caels thoughts. She looked down to see what made the sound and found a bird under her foot.

Cael jumped back, surprised that she hadn't noticed the bird. The bird got up and glared at her. Its feathers ruffled at her as it flapped its wings a bit. Before Cael knew it, sand and dirt was blowing up in front of her.

The only thing Cael could think to do was to reach into her bag and throw out her pokeball. With a flash of light, her bulbasaur appeared. It looked around in the cloud of sand, confused as to what was going on.

"Bulbasaur, find it and tackle it." Cael told it. The small green dinosaur-like creature turned and ran through the cloud. After a bit of searching, the bulbasaur rushed forward at the bird, stopping it from continuing the dust cloud.

As soon as the dust cleared, Cael pulled out her pokedex and aimed it at the bird. The screen came to life with a picture of the bird on it. "Pidgey, a tiny bird Pokémon." The small device explained. "It is a docile creature that kicks up sand with its wings to hide itself from its attackers."

"Tackle again before it can kick up anymore sand." The small Pokémon jumped forward before the bird could start flapping its wings again, easily knocking it on its back.

Bulbasaur carefully walked up to the bird to check if it was knocked out. When it got close, the bird jumped up and pecked at the green Pokémon, making it jump back. The Pidgey stepped forward and pecked at the bulbasaur again, making it jump back further.

Keeping an eye on the bulbasaur, Pidgey started flapping its wings. Soon enough it started flying in the sky, out of reach of the grounded Pokémon's attack. It then started to swoop down on the small Pokémon, scratching it with its talons.

"Bulbasaur." Cael cried out, running up to her Pokémon to check if it was alright. It had a few scratches, but otherwise seemed fine. "If you had a way to get it up there, you'd be able to bring it back down."

As those words left her mouth, the Pidgey swooped down and scratched at the bulbasaur again. The Pokémon dodged the attack and started to growl. As if out of nowhere, two vines came out from under the bulb on its back and snared the Pidgey in its grasps. As soon as the Pidgey was caught it was slammed against the ground.

Cael couldn't believe her eyes. She checked the Pidgey and found that it was unconscious. In an instant, her starting Pokémon had learned a new move and won with it. From what she heard from Toren, that was near impossible.

Remembering the situation, Cael searched through her bag for a pokeball to capture the Pidgey. Turning her bag inside out for the second time in two days, she realized that she had lost the only 2 pokeballs she brought. She sadly looked at the Pidgey, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything with the Pokémon her Bulbasaur had just defeated.

Sighing, Cael pulled out her bulbasaurs pokeball and called it back. "You did a good job." She told it before putting the pokeball back in her bag. After depositing the pokeball, she continued on the path.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey there peeps. Sorry I wasn't able to do this chapter as fast as the last one. Some things happened, failed attempts at conquering small countries occurred, and some alcohol was consumed. Anyways, I hope I've somewhat gotten better at fight sequences with this chapter. And for those who would ask, I didn't necessarily think about the system for finding pokemon in the game when I wrote out the stepping on the Pidgey thing, but I realized afterwards that it could go that way.


	8. Seventh step

**Disclaimer:** I stake no claim to Pokémon. My only claim is to this story and some characters.

**Chapter 7: First Stop**

Reaching the end of the path, Cael looked around at the city before her. Just as Rin had said, it took about half a day to get here after leaving Pallet. She might have gotten there sooner, but after that first Pidgey, she had to watch her step.

Not used to walking so much, Cael went to find somewhere where she could rest. Looking around, she found a large building marked "Pokémon center." Checking inside, she easily found a place to sit for a while.

After sitting down, Cael looked closely at what was in the building that she could see. Other than the chair she was sitting in, there were many other seats, most of them with tables in front of them. At the back of the room, there was a desk surrounding a door. Apparently, whoever was working was in the back of the building, because the desk was empty. To the side of the desk were a line of strange looking telephones.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence. "Oh, a visitor."

Cael looked back to see a young woman standing in front of the door. She appeared to have been shopping, because in her arms were two large brown bags. Her long, light red hair reminded Cael of her own, before it was cut.

"If you wait right there, I'll be with you in a second." The woman walked up to the desk at the back of the room. From what Cael could see, the woman seemed to slide a part of the desk over, and then walk past it. After going into the back room for a few minutes, the woman came back to stand behind the desk.

"I'm sorry; usually we don't get many trainers when the gym is closed. Now, how may I help you?" The woman smiled at Cael.

"Um, excuse me?"

"Oh, are you a new trainer?" Cael nodded, confused as to why she was asking. "Then I guess you don't know about Pokémon centers yet. A Pokémon center is a place where trainers go to heal their Pokémon and rest. They can also be considered as a free Inn when a trainer doesn't have enough money to stay at a hotel."

"W-well I can't really pay for healing my Pokémon." Cael stammered out, embarrassed by her mistake of forgetting her money the other day.

"You've already used up the 3000 starting credits? Doesn't matter, treatment for Pokémon is free. That's quite fast for a trainer to use up so much, though."

"Wait, 3000 starting credits?"

"You don't know about that either? Have you even registered yourself in your pokedex yet?" Cael shook her head, a slightly confused look on her face. "Well, first you should register yourself into the pokedex system. After that, there's a feature that will explain things to you. While you're doing that, would you like me to treat your Pokémon?"

Cael nodded and handed over her pokeball. The woman took the ball and went into the back room with it. While she was gone, Cael took out her pokedex and started pressing its buttons.

Messing with the pokedex, she saw there were various features to it. A listing of the moves that her Pokémon knows, the type of Pokémon she has, as well as information as to where more like it is found.

Pressing a button, a flash went off from the pokedex's eye, blinding Cael for a few seconds. When she regained her sight, she saw her own picture on the pokedex's screen, above words that read "Enter trainer's name." She entered her name into the blank space, thinking nothing about it. The screen than changed, showing her picture, name, and current amount of Pokémon she had.

Looking at the screen, Cael realized what she had done. In her mind, having her picture registered meant she was sure to be caught. She panicked and started scrolling through the pokedex, trying to find a way to change her registration.

After pressing a button, a manual came up on the screen. Instantly, Cael brought up the registration part of the manual. "Registration is an important part of owning a pokedex. It allows Pokémon center operators to know who you are, and lets you retrieve your captured Pokémon. Think before registering a nick-name, because registration is permanent."

Reading that, Cael gave up hope to change her registration. Having spent some energy panicking, she decided to read more of the manual.

"After registration, beginning trainers are given 3000 credits to be used on supplies. After these, trainers are able to obtain money through winning Pokémon battles with other trainers, winning a battle against a gym leader, or other miscellaneous ways, such as guiding civilians to their destination past dangerous areas. **Warning:** You must have your pokedex in order to use the money recorded on your account." Cael was on the verge of crying after reading this.

_If I had known this, I wouldn't have had to stay with Rin, and she wouldn't have cut my hair._

Cael stopped reading when she heard the door to the back of the center open. She walked up to the desk and took the pokeball when it was offered to her. "Thank you for helping me"

"Oh, it's just part of my job." The woman smiled. She was starting to remind Cael of Rin. "Is there anything else you need help with?" Cael shook her head to the woman's offer. Now that she had the manual in the pokedex, things would be easier for her.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was mostly an informative chapter as to some of the smaller things in the poke-verse. It took me a little while but I got it done with. Well, hang on for the next one, hopefully she'll catch something, instead of just stepping on it.


	9. Eighth step

**Disclaimer:** If you're reading this, you go to the back of the class. I do not own Pokémon. I only own Cael, Toren, Aetrom, Rin, and this story.

**Chapter 8: Off the Beaten Path**

Cael walked out of the pokemart with a smile on her face. She made sure that, this time, she would be prepared for the trip. The first things she bought were enough food to last her for a day or two and enough pokeballs to be able to catch whatever came up against her. _I just hope it doesn't come up like that first one_.

Cael walked through town, trying to find the road to Pewter city. Something flashed in the corner of her eyes and she stopped. Turning, she saw a bit of pink go around the corner of a building and ran towards it.

As Cael ran around the corner, she saw the slight bit of color go around another corner. Turn after turn and street after street, she followed the bit of out of place color that seemed to slip just out of sight after she turned the corner. She didn't know why she followed it, but she continued to run, her mind in a haze. Finally, after running through half of the city, she stopped.

The haze lifting from her, Cael looked around to see where the mysterious pink thing had led her. The edge of the city behind her, she looked forward at the path that was made out ahead. A sign stood at the side of the road, the writing a little faded from age.

Cael looked at the sign, reading the words. "Route 22? I must've run pretty far to get here."

Cael turned back to the path in front of her, the tall grass that covered it being lined by trees. Within the grass, she saw a familiar flash of pink run by.

Running after it, Cael caught up with the creature possessing the color much faster than before. What stood before her was a small pink horned animal, hunched on its hind legs looking ready to fight. "So, you're the one who led me here."

Cael pulled her pokeball from her pack and threw it, bringing out bulbasaur in a flash of light. The plant Pokémon looked at its enemy, preparing to fight. At the sight of this new enemy, the horned Pokémon's ears flicked.

While the two Pokémon were staring each other down, a pair of eyes watched from within the tall grass. The eyes darted from the Pokémon to the trainer, waiting to see what would happen.

Cael pulled out her pokedex, planning on getting information on the small pink Pokémon before it tries to escape. With the machines eye pointed at the Pokémon, the information appeared on the screen.

"Male Nidoran? Does that mean that the female has a different entry?" Cael asked, slightly confused why they separated the entries because of its gender.

Before Cael could check why the genders got a different entry, the Nidoran jumped forward at its green enemy in front of it. Surprised by the sudden action, the Bulbasaur tried to jump to the side away from the pink creature coming at it. Sadly, it was too late, for the Nidoran ran into the small green Pokémon before he could get away.

The Bulbasaur stepped back, the pain from being run into by the horned Pokémon leaving easily. The Nidoran turned to the green Pokémon, a glare in its eyes.

"Bulbasaur, when it comes, jump to the right and tackle him."

As soon as the words had left her mouth, the Nidoran jumped forwards again. In an instant, the pink Pokémon was on its side from being hit.

"Now, use Vine Whip."

Two vines sprouted from beneath Bulbasaurs' bulb and started hitting against the Nidorans underbelly. Before the Pokémon could stand again, the vines grabbed onto its side legs and lifted it into the air before dropping it back to the ground.

Nidoran rocked back and forth, trying to get back onto its feet to try to set up an attack against the Pokémon that seemed to be beating it. After a few minutes it rocked back over onto its legs. The Nidoran tried to prepare to jump at the Pokémon, but flinched in pain for a moment.

At that moment, Cael threw a pokeball at the creature. The ball impacted, pulling the Pokémon into it with a red light. The ball fell to the ground and rocked quite a bit. After a bit of rocking, a small light turned on on the pokeball, signaling that the Pokémon was captured.

Cael retrieved the ball and smiled to herself. _My first capture._

Cael opened her back and put the pokeball away with the rest that she had before taking out Bulbasaurs ball. Before she was able to call the green Pokémon back, however, she heard a small vibrating coming from her bag. She looked through her bag and pulled out her Pokedex. Turning it on, words appeared on the screen.

"Would you like to name your Pokémon?"

Cael thought to herself. _It might make it easier to tell them apart from any other like it. Besides, it's kind of rude to just call them by their species._

Cael typed in a name for the Nidoran she just caught before looking down at her original Pokémon. "Would you like a new name too? I'd like to call you by something other than Bulbasaur."

The green Pokémon looked up at her, its eyes sparkling slightly. Cael smiled and started thinking.

"But what should we name you?"

Cael stared thoughtfully at her small green companion. The Nidoran was easy enough to name, instantly knowing what she should name it. But for the little guy next to her, she had nothing. She stood there looking at him, racking her brain for a name. Suddenly a word appeared in her head that seemed perfect for him.

Cael quickly typed in the name, knowing it was a good idea. As the screen flashed, acknowledging the name, she put the pokedex away. She turned to the Bulbasaur with a smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Genesis."

Cael grinned at her Pokémon before calling him back into his pokeball. She put the ball away and walked back towards town.

As Cael walked away, a small creature floated out of the tall grass. It watched, interested in its target as it walked away. It gave a small nod to itself before disappearing in thin air.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey there, sorry it's been a while. I was having a bit of trouble with this chapter here, quite frankly in starting it off. But hey, we're still goin' and rollin'. Hopefully I won't have as much trouble with the next chapter. Look forward to it.


	10. Ninth step

**Disclaimer:** I think we all get the picture by now; Pokémon does not and will not belong to me. Only this story and some of the characters belong to me.

**Chapter 9: Back on Track**

Cael yawned as she walked along the trail. After catching the Nidoran and returning to the center to heal her Pokémon, she realized how late it was. At that time, the nurse suggested that she stay the night. She tried to refuse, but it seemed that the nurse shared more in common with Rin than she thought. The nurse seemed close to just pushing her into the bed herself. _Why is it that everyone I'm meeting are so stubborn?_

Cael just pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she approached Viridian forest. As she got closer, she saw a building sitting at the edge of the forest. The closer she got, the more she noticed about the outside of the forest.

The building wasn't a large building, medium sized at best. Off the sides of it were gates, shooting off in both directions as far as she could see. It seemed as if whoever was inside the building was trying to keep people out of the forest. The only way to get through would be to go through the building, or hopping the fence. Even hopping the fence would be hard, seeing as how it was being guarded by police.

Cael walked into the building, her mind blazing with questions as to why the forest was cut off. Inside, the building looked much more official, multiple desks with computers on them and more policemen blocking off the exit to the forest at the back. A man walked up to her soon after she walked in.

"Good evening, I'm John and I'll be in charge of getting you through this checkpoint today. To start off with, and get some complications out of the way, are you a Pokémon trainer or a regular civilian?"

Cael looked at John a bit confused before answering him. "I'm a trainer. If I may ask, why is the forest fenced off? And why are there police around the fence?"

"Due to certain circumstances, we have had to close the free passage through the forest for the time being. Now, as a trainer, I need to see your pokedex to confirm your identity."

Cael nodded before pulling out her pokedex and flipping through the features. Pulling up the Id feature of the pokedex, she showed it to John. John took the pokedex from Cael, looking at the picture on the screen intensely.

Cael opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, John snapped the cover to her pokedex closed. "Very well then, if you would follow me, I need to send a picture through to the other checkpoint, just in case you get lost."

Cael could only nod as she followed John to one of the desks, sitting on one side. John sat at the desk and started typing away on the computer. Cael watched as he worked, waiting for something more to happen.

"Recently the areas Pokémon have been acting up. It's a common occurrence, happens every year in fact, but this year seems to be the worst so far. Add that together with the fact that Karcel Ghent's daughter ran away recently, and some crimes that have been happening, and that's why we've had to boarder off the forest. Trainers can make their way through easy enough, but it's dangerous for regular people to travel the forest alone. So, we have a checkpoint located on both sides of the forest. If a regular person needs to make it through the forest, they either ask a trainer or we have one of our own take them through the forest. There we go, now if you'll follow me, I'll let you out into the forest."

Cael nodded and followed, leaving the checkpoint and finally getting into the forest. She looked around before moving, trying to see anything that would tip her off as to where the direction of the other checkpoint was. Finding nothing, she set off into the forest, not knowing where she would be going.

Time passed as Cael walked, looking around at the forest, trying to keep track of where she'd been. All that she could hear from the forest was a far off sound of rustling grass. The only thing she could do, though, was keep on moving and hope that nothing would come to hurt her.

About half an hour passed before Cael started to get tired. She sat down, looking around at where she was at the moment. All she could see were thick trees, no signs of the checkpoint anywhere. "Where could it be?"

A slight rustling in the bushes caught Caels attention. As she turned to see what would come out, she was suddenly brought to her knees by a force hitting her stomach. She recoiled in pain, looking down to see what had hit her.

Standing in front of her was a small green worm-like creature. On its head, there was a red, horn looking thing that split in two directions and stood out from its green body. Its yellow eyes stood out quite a bit from its body as well, Cael thought. The creature ran around her, as though it was afraid of something and she would be able to protect it.

As though on cue, another creature appeared from the bushes that the first appeared from. This worm-like creature had a yellow color to him and his horn had a pointed tip to it, unlike the others flat horn. Its eyes had a fierce look in them as the small bug approached closer.

Before the bug could get closer to her, Cael took out one of her pokeballs and threw, not knowing which ball she threw. After a flash of light, she found out that the ball she threw was the one holding her Nidoran.

The small pink Pokémon looked around, looking a bit confused as to where it was at the moment, before looking at the bug Pokémon in front of it. The Nidoran could feel that the bug Pokémon was an enemy. Knowing this, it started to glare at the small yellow creature. Responding to the pink creature that appeared in front of it, the small bug seemed to glare at the Nidoran as well, waiting to make the first move.

As the Pokémon began their stare-off, Cael pulled out her pokedex and fixed its eye on the small yellow bug. In an instant, the machines screen lit up with information on it.

"'Weedle: a small bug Pokémon which uses the poisonous barb on its head to attack its enemies. It can usually be found eating fallen leaves.' If it eats leaves than why is it attacking another bug?"

Before she could think of a response to her question, the Weedle jumped forward, thrusting its horn at the Nidoran in front of it.

"Rens, jump away from it!"

The Nidoran hunched on its legs ready to jump, but it was too late. The Weedle hit its mark, poking into the slightly larger Pokémon's skin. The Nidoran shook off the bugs attack, prepared to strike back.

"Tackle it Rens." The Nidoran jumped forward as soon as it heard her say tackle, ready to get even on the smaller Pokémon. The Weedle didn't have time to prepare before it was struck by the Nidorans head. The bug seemed to have a harder time shaking off the pain from the Nidorans attack. Before the Weedle could shake off the pain, the Nidoran attacked again, wanting to pay the bug back for hurting it earlier.

Watching her Nidoran, Cael jumped in as the Pokémon started to get aggressive with the small bug. She put her arms around the small pink Pokémon's stomach, picking it up before it could attack again. "That's enough, Rens. You need to wait for my order before you attack. If not, I'll just have to punish you." Cael then looked at the beaten Pokémon before her.

Seeing the Weedle in pain, Cael threw a pokeball at it, hoping to heal it in the next town. The ball hit the Weedle, and like the Nidoran, it was sucked up in a red light before the ball closed and started rocking. It didn't rock quite as much as the first time before the red light came on, showing that she captured him.

Putting down Rens, Cael went and picked up the pokeball. "That makes my second capture as a trainer. I'm on my way to becoming better, Toren."

A small nudge at her foot broke Caels thoughts. Looking down, she saw the small green bug that was hiding behind her while she was fighting off the Weedle nudging up against her. She bent down and pointed her pokedex at it, pulling the information about it up.

"So you're a Caterpie huh? Well, it looks like you're safe for now little guy. If you feel like it, would you like to come with me?" The small bugs yellow eyes seemed to shine when she asked her question. It nudged up against her again, giving her all the answer that she needed. Cael pulled out a pokeball, throwing it against the Caterpie and catching it.

After making sure that her new Pokémon were caught and named, Cael pulled out Rens' pokeball. She looked at Rens as he lay against a tree and called him back to his pokeball, drawing him out of his content peace. "Now, you be good in there, or I'll call you out and punish you myself."

Cael deposited the pokeball back in her backpack before continuing on. Before she could go far, however, she was faced with another unwanted thing in her way.

"Lady Cael, so I've finally found you." A large bald man in a black suit stood before Cael, holding a pokeball in hand in case he ran into danger.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey there, I'm back and I've got a longer story for ya. Again, a big part of why this one took so long was starting it off, but there are other factors for why it's so late. Frankly, Writers block is a bitch, especially when you have 6 stories going on at the same time. The next chapter should be sooner however, so look forward to it. Ciao.


	11. Tenth step

**Disclaimer: **Pokémon does not belong to me. Only these characters belong to me.

**Chapter 10: Little Worries**

"Lady Cael, so I've finally found you." The bald man took off his sunglasses and smirked at his find. "I'm one of your fathers' guards, Rivero. Everyone from the mansion is out looking for you now. We don't know how you got past everybody, but we all were worried about you. Why don't you just come along home nice and easy now?"

_Now I'll get the bonus promised to whoever brings her back. _Rivero stifled his laughter at how lucky he was as he put away the pokeball and reached a hand out to grab Cael. As soon as his hand got close, though, she pulled away from him. The smirk immediately left his face as she planted her feet and started to speak. "I'm not going back without finding Toren. I don't care if my father doesn't like it; I won't just wait around trapped in that house."

Anger evident on his face, the man reached back into the pocket that he had just put his pokeball in. Cael braced herself for anything that might come from him.

Rivero brought the pokeball he had just put inside it out. As he held the ball, the anger washed off his face and a smirk reappeared on his face. "I guess I'll just have to show you that you aren't cut out to be a trainer."

The bald man threw his ball as Cael rifled through her bag to find a Pokémon to fight with. The bright light flashed and faded, leaving a small bird Pokémon behind. _This'll be over quickly. She's only had two days as a trainer, so she couldn't have learned much, or have many Pokémon yet._ He snickered as he waited for Cael to send out a Pokémon.

Cael finally pulled out a pokeball before looking at her current enemies Pokémon. "Huh, that one kinda looks like the Pokémon I wanted to catch earlier. The colors are different though, and it looks a little different."

"What you probably saw was a Pidgey. My Spearow is a lot more dangerous than those, though." Rivero grinned at how little Cael knew about the Pokémon.

"A Spearow?" Cael asked before pulling out her pokedex and aiming its' eye at the small bird. She looked at the video panel, reading the text aloud. "It flaps its' short wings to flush out bugs from tall grass and fly. It captures its' prey with its' stubby beak."

After reading off the report, Cael threw the pokeball she pulled out of her bag. "Go, Genesis!" Shaking its' head a bit after the light, the Bulbasaur let out a happy cry before looking at its' enemy.

"A Bulbasaur? Heh, looks like you still have a lot to learn." The servant grinned at his luck. "Spearow, give 'im a good growl to start things off."

Obeying its' master, a deep growl emitted from the Spearow's mouth, causing the Bulbasaur to step back a bit from surprise.

_Did that bird just growl? _Cael asked herself before remembering what was happening. "Genesis, use vine whip on the Spearow."

Almost directly after hearing Caels' words, the Bulbasaur grew two large vines from beneath its bulb that flew straight towards the Spearow. As the first vine snapped at it, the small bird jumped, avoiding any damage. Soon after the jump, though, the second vine whipped in from the side. At the last second, the Spearow's wing shot out, smacking the vine away.

"Wh-What? How-?" Cael started her question before Rivero continued for her. "How was your attack so useless? You haven't been a trainer for very long, so you wouldn't know much about mental attacks or type-advantage." The man folded his arms in front of him before barking out his next order. "Spearow, peck at its' back."

Sparing a look back at its owner, the Spearow ran around Genesis before pecking at him from the side, forcing the plant Pokémon onto its' stomach. As Genesis tried to get back onto his legs, the Spearow forced him back down.

"You see, while my Spearow is still in his early training, a plant-type Pokémon was still a bad choice for this fight."

"Plant-type? What do you mean by that?" Cael asked. She knew that Genesis probably wouldn't be able to recover from that attack so easily, so she was trying to get as much information as she could before continuing.

He looked at her with a sharp look before starting to explain. "Every Pokémon has a type classification. Depending on the type of Pokémon and the attack you use, an attack can be anything from a one hit k-o to just a breeze of wind to them. Now, if you want your Pokémon to come out of this fight in decent condition, I'd suggest calling him back."

Knowing he was right, Cael held up Genesis' pokeball, calling him back into it.

"Now that you understand, are you ready to do as you're told?" Rivero asked; ready to call his Spearow back. Despite his Spearow's advantage, he knew that a hit to a bird Pokémon's wing was never a good thing.

"I said I'm not going back without finding Toren." _But how can I fight against this bird?_

Cael thought about the few Pokémon she had caught. It was obvious that the two bug Pokémon that she had just got before this fight wouldn't do well against the bird Pokémon. The closest she had to a healthy Pokémon she had was-

"He might not like it, but he's all I have." Cael pulled out a pokeball and threw it. "Come out again Rens." In a flash of light, the dark purple Nidoran appeared in front of the Spearow. The purple Pokémon shook its' head before glaring over at its' enemy.

"No time for talk Rens. Peck at his wing with your horn."

Rens glared over at Cael before looking back at the bird Pokémon in front of it. Stepping carefully, the Nidoran kept its' eyes on the bird Pokémon as he circled to the side.

"Spearow, growl at it." The bald man called out, hoping that the growl would scare the Nidoran enough to stop it.

Listening to its' owner, the bird Pokémon let out another deep growl. The growl proved to be of little effect, as the Nidoran jumped head first into the Spearow's wing. The small bird jumped away, trying to flap its' wings, and wincing in pain for a second.

That second was all Cael needed to see the bird Pokémon's pain. "Are you ready to give up? Your Spearow won't be able to take too much more."

Rivero flinched, knowing that she was telling the truth. Despite that, he continued to shout orders to his Pokémon. "Spearow, peck at the Nidoran."

Despite the pain it was in, the Spearow turned to the Nidoran and ran after it to attack. A lot faster than the Spearow now, Rens jumped out of the way of the Spearow's attack and countered by attacking the bird Pokémon's wing again. Unable to take the pain, the Spearow fell to the ground, unconscious from the attack.

Cael called back Nias and looked at Rivero. "You've lost, now go back to father and tell him I'm not coming home."

Rivero looked at Cael, putting his sunglasses back over his eyes, in order to hide his rage. "I'm afraid that won't be happening. I have an order to take you back by any means." Saying all that he needed, the man approached Cael.

As fast as she could, Cael turned and ran through the forest. Rivero ran after her, gaining speed and distance faster than she could with her smaller body. Trying to gain some distance, Cael weaved through trees, going as fast as she could the entire time. Looking back, though, she saw how little she was gaining over him.

When Cael looked forward, she noticed a building in the distance. Hoping it was the checkpoint out, she ran straight toward it, hoping she was close enough to make it. Following, Rivero gained more and more on her.

Rivero reached out to grab Cael, thinking he had her. Just before he could reach, however, something hit his arm. Pulling back in pain, he stopped to look for what had attacked him. After a few seconds, the attacker showed itself.

A Beedrill.

_This isn't good._ He thought to himself. Rivero had only brought the one Spearow with him into the forest, not expecting it to lose against any of the low level monsters in the area. Facing a dangerous Pokémon, he did the only thing he could. He ran away.

Nothing stopping Cael, she busted through the doors, slamming them closed behind her.

_Who knew being a trainer would involve so much running?_

After catching her breath, Cael noticed the stares aimed at her by the workers. Blushing in embarrassment, she slowly made her way to a desk with someone sitting behind it. "Um, I'm Cael; I'm here to report that I've gotten through the forest."

The man sitting behind the desk blinked for a second before smiling. "Ah, yes, we got a message that you would be coming. We will inform the other post that you have safely arrived. Now, if you follow the walkway, you may leave."

Cael nodded and followed the man's instructions. Exiting the building, she was greeted by the sight of a field, with buildings hidden by the horizon. Excited, she broke into a run through the field, finding a hill on the way. She ran up and looked over at the city beyond it. Taking out her map, Cael found the city and it's name. Pewter City.

"I'm getting closer, Toren. I know it."

* * *

**A/N:** And there you have the next chapter. My muse apparently hates me, because it took a while for me to get through writing this chapter. Oh well, next chapter is in the making.

**Next:** Cael stops by the Pokecenter for her Pokémon, which leads her to the museum. Plot points may or may not ensue.


	12. Eleventh step

**A/N:** Goin' for a two shot here.

**Chapter 11: First Day In The Big City**

- (Pewter City – Afternoon ) -

Outside the Pewter city Poke-center, a man walks up to look at the building. "Heh, this'll be easy. As soon as she gets here, I'll catch her and receive a big reward." Walking inside, the man looked around to find that the nurse at the counter was the only one there. "Guess I'll have to wait for it, though." Finding the nearest chair, he made himself comfortable for the long wait ahead of him.

- (Elsewhere in Pewter City) –

Cael walked through Pewter city, showing whoever she found Toren's picture. Sadly, she couldn't get any information on where he could have gone. Refusing to give up, she continued to ask anybody on the streets about her missing friend. Soon, the sun began to sink lower into the sky, and her hopes started to sink with it.

"Maybe he didn't come to Pewter?" She thought to herself, looking at the photo to help calm her down. Looking around, she noticed that people were starting to leave the streets. Steeling herself, Cael decided to ask one more person before calling it a day. By the time she started moving, however, the streets were almost empty.

Walking through the streets, Cael looked for someone to ask about Toren. After a while, she finally saw someone to ask. Just down the street from her was a taller man with spiked hair, wearing a black and orange coat.

Running up to him she yelled out for him. "Excuse me, sir, but have you seen this boy?" She ran close to him and held up the picture before looking at the man. While he took the picture, she bent down to catch her breath. "If I'm going to be running like this every day, I should get into shape." She thought to herself quietly.

After she caught her breath, Cael looked up at the man she ran down. The man was a bit larger than she had expected from a distance, not in height but in muscle. Unlike her previously clean white skin, his was a tanned and dirty color. Looking at his face, he seemed a bit annoyed, she couldn't clearly tell, however, due to his eyes being squinted. All in all, he seemed a bit frightening to the young lady.

All of those fears were dispersed, however, when the man's face brightened up. "Yeah, I remember this guy." He said, his voice softer than she thought it would be.

Through her surprise, happiness filled Cael up, and all her worries seemed to life. "Do you know where he went?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Sure do, it's a bit late to go there right now though. You'll have to wait until morning for that." Hearing this, Cael seemed to deflate a bit. Still, she was happy that she could find someone who knew at all.

"Could you tell me where he went though?" she asked a bit meekly.

"Sure, he went to the museum. He said something about a tablet that was being studied there. If you'd like, I could lead you there tomorrow." The man offered happily.

"If it wouldn't be any trouble to you, it would certainly help. I'll probably be at th-"

"The Poke-center." He finished for her.

Looking at him, Cael was slightly confused. Last she checked, she was disguised pretty well, and nobody so far could tell that she was a trainer. "How did you know?"

"That's simple. For one thing, Pewter is a pretty small town for a big city, and we don't get a lot of travelers besides trainers coming to the gym. It gets to be easy to spot someone new in town. Also, the Viridian forest has been blocked off recently, so it's harder for people to get here without being a trainer." Cael nodded along to what the man was saying, not completely understanding, but getting the general picture.

Looking up, the man noticed how late it was. "I should probably be heading back." Looking back at Cael he smiled. "I have some business I need to take care of. Will you be able to find the center on your own?"

"I think I'll be alright." Cael said, nodding to him.

"Alright than, I'll see you tomorrow." At that, he started to walk away. Watching him go, Cael realized something important.

"Sir, I never got your name." She yelled out to him. She was unsure if he heard them, the distance between them growing larger by the second. Suddenly, before he disappeared, she heard him shout back.

"The name's Brock."

Smiling, Cael turned around and walked away happily. "I'm on your trail, Toren." She said to herself as she turned through the streets, looking for the Poke-center.

By the time she arrived at the nearest center, it was already dark. Walking in, she looked around to see who, if anybody, was there. Noticing the only people were a man in a red vest with a pony-tail who was sleeping on a chair in the waiting area, and the nurse at the counter whose back was turned, she walked up to the nurse.

"Um, excuse me. I'm a trainer and I need a place to sleep." Cael said softly, trying to make sure not to disturb the man sleeping in the chair. He was forgotten, however, when the nurse turned around to look at Cael.

"Ah, you're a new trainer around here. The forest checkpoint called and said you'd be here soon." The nurse smiled at her, making her jump back a bit. Confused, the nurse asked her, "What's the matter? Am I scary?"

Slowly lifting a finger to point at her, Cael said shakily, "H-How did y-y-you get here from V-Viridian so f-fast?"

Realizing what was happening, the nurse chuckled to herself a bit. "Oh, dear, seems you've had a bit of a scare. Don't worry though, I'm not the Viridian nurse. My name is Sela Joy, and I'm the nurse for the Pewter City Poke-center."

"But you look exactly like the one in Viridian." Cael pointed out.

"Oh, Center H.Q. is the cause for that. They try to hire nurses who look very much alike. It's for the Pokémon really, a common face for healing helps them remain calm. I may look close to her, but I'm actually a bit taller than the Viridian nurse. Now, how can I help you?"

Shock and confusion were obvious on Caels face. Despite that, she tried to speak clearly. "I-I need a place to sleep, and I was hoping to sleep in the center tonight."

"Of course, I'll just need you to sign the guest book, and there should be some open beds upstairs." The nurse reached underneath the counter and pulled out a large book. Flipping through the pages, she found a recent page that was mostly empty. "Just sign right under the last name there and put the date next to your name."

Taking a pen off the counter, Cael did as she was told and signed the guest book. Looking at the other names, she spotted one that she knew. Right above her name, in small letters, read the name "Aetrom". Right next to the name was the previous days date, meaning he had slept at the center the day before. She didn't know why, but for some reason, how fast he was going was annoying her.

Finishing signing in, Cael put down the pen and looked up at the nurse. As soon as she saw her face, Cael thought of something. "Oh, could you also take care of my Pokémon too? They got a bit hurt on the way through the forest to get here."

"Sure thing, I'll have them as good as new by morning." The nurse smiled at her. After handing the nurse her pokeballs, Cael walked over and up the stairs at the side. Going down the hall, she walked into the first bedroom she could find and laid in the first bed she came across.

Feeling the day she had gone through, Cael lazily kicked off her shoes and set her bag at the side of her bed. Slowly, she pulled the covers out from under her and pulled them over her. Almost instantly she fell asleep, falling into the darkness of her dreams.

* * *

**A/N:** And there's a two-fer. Originally this chapter was a bit shorter in my writing book, but I spiffed it up a bit. So here's a big thumbs up for getting two done at once. Merry Christmas, everybody.


End file.
